Sometimes on the journey we of life, all we need is for someone to point us in the right direction, motivate us, hold us accountable, and remind us of our awesome, sometimes forgotten strength and willpower. "Guess Who"I am “Rock” Harris. I am certified as an American Sports and Fitness Association (ASFA) Master Fitness Trainer, ASFA Self Defense Instructor. My lifelong commitment in life is to make a difference in the lives of the people who entrust me with their well being. As a former Airborne Ranger and current fitness coach, I have dedicated the last twenty years of my life in search of the perfect fitness program. Experience has taught me the best approach for sustainable fitness is 1-on-1 training utilizing education and physical conditioning specifically developed for each client. Since no two body structures are the same, I believe no single generic program can produce the desired outcome for every individual. My wife Amanda is a National level Figure and Physique Competitor and Personal Trainer also.
I am also a judge for the National Physique Commitee. Training with me is a relationship; in and out of the gym. I monitor each client, tailor their nutritional plans, and provide and 24 hour access. I am as comitted to you as you are to success. Let's do it!!
My wife Amanda Harris is the first woman in history to hold a Professional rating in Women's Physique, she is an accomplished trainer and nutrition specialist. She is also a main contributor to your training. An IFBB Pro Athelete! How much more could you ask for.

by bbbconsumeralert on Sep. 07, 2010, under alert, Life, Tips
At 5 feet tall and 80 pounds, 11-year-old Julianna doesn’t look very much like a weightlifter. The Webster Groves, Mo., sixth-grader says the biggest thing she ever lifts is her 5-year-old brother. Until a few days ago, she thought a kettlebell was a something to ring, not a piece of weight-training equipment.
Recently, Julianna took and passed an online test for the St. Louis-based American Sports and Fitness Association — a 75-question exam that qualified her to become a certified, card-carrying kettlebell instructor.

How difficult was the test? She finished it in 10 minutes with a score of 89 percent, after the website gave her most of the correct answers on her second attempt. “I wish they would do that in school,” she said.
Kurtis Scott Lippman of Affton, Mo., is president of the American Sports and Fitness Association, which was incorporated in Missouri in September 2007.
Better Business Bureau says that the association’s testing program illustrates an ongoing problem in the area of personal training and exercise certification. People with few qualifications and virtually no knowledge of a subject can receive official-looking certificates indicating an expertise in everything from sports nutrition to kickboxing by simply visiting the website, answering a list of questions and paying $99 or more, depending on the type and length of certification. And don’t worry if you can’t answer the questions the first time through. The American Sports and Fitness Association tells you which answers you missed and lets you continue retaking the test until you get 70 percent correct, the score needed for certification.
“It’s embarrassing for our industry,” said a personal trainer for a well-known St. Louis area gym. “You can be driving a truck one day and working as a personal trainer the next.”
Steve Ball, associate professor of exercise physiology at the University of Missouri at Columbia, called many online certification programs “a joke.” He said businesses around the U.S. “come up with a fancy name, put up some fancy pictures of people exercising and they call you a master personal trainer. And the public doesn’t know.” He said people should be wary of easy and inexpensive certification programs, choosing instead to go through more rigorous, better recognized certification programs.
Kim States, BBB President, said it would be one thing if people were simply using the certificates as gag novelties, to show off to friends and family. But an Internet search shows trainers using their ASFA certificates on their public resumes to solicit business. “For people to tell consumers they are ASFA certified is simply misleading,” she said. “An ASFA certificate should have about as much credibility as a three-dollar bill.”
The Internet search showed ASFA-certified trainers working in colleges, health clubs, gyms, martial arts schools, country clubs and in private practice throughout the U.S. Many of them note their certifications on resumes. Lippman said his association has certified thousands of people around the world.
Lippman said he is the sole owner of ASFA, which is accredited by and affiliated with Elite Personal Training and Tactical Edge, both of which he runs.
In addition to Julianna’s recent kettleball test, 12-year-old Kaelyn, a North St. Louis County, Mo., seventh grader, tested for a certificate in martial arts. She too passed on her second try and was told she qualified to be certified. BBB investigators also took several ASFA exams. Among them:

A certification exam as a child obesity specialist. The BBB investigator who took the test had no expertise in the area of childhood obesity, but passed the exam on the first attempt with a score of 84 percent. “Congratulations!” the site said. “You will now be taken to your shopping cart where you can finish purchasing your certification.”

A certification exam in the area of Pilates, a type of exercise. The BBB investigator who took the test had no background in Pilates, but passed in a matter of minutes on her second try when the Website told her which answers she had missed.

A certification exam for martial arts strength and conditioning coach. The investigator took this test without ever reading any of the questions and simply marking the 75 true/false and multiple choice answers at random. On the third try, after changing answers to reflect the ones that were missed in earlier attempts, he passed with a score of 72 percent and was invited to purchase the certificate.

In an e-mail response to BBB questions, Lippman said he founded ASFA “to help other employers screen potential employees as well as provide the required continuing education credits needed to retain employment and/or primary certificates held.” ASFA tests, he said, “are a valuable resource for employers in the fitness industry for quality assurance as well as for employees in the fitness industry required by the employer or another certification body to complete continuing education courses.
“In a field that is not accredited by any legal board, we do not claim state or national accreditation status,” he said in the e-mail. “However, we do provide a useful tool for employers and employees alike.”
On both the website and in his e-mail, Lippman noted that only those certificates issued for persons 18 or older should be considered valid.
The ASFA website’s welcome page says, “Fitness professionals and personal training are in large demand and can provide a rewarding and lucrative career opportunity! Why not become a fitness professional today?” Persons ordering certificates are asked to read a series of warnings and disclaimers, including a notice that “ASFA certifications are intended for niche marketing, continuing education, and as a resource for the fitness professional; ASFA certifications are not intended to be sole or primary certifications.”
ASFA uses an address at a UPS Store in the Grasso Plaza Shopping Center in south St. Louis County.
BBB offers the following tips for consumers looking for certified fitness trainers:

Make sure the trainer is certified with a widely recognized organization and ask for specifics on what kind of training he or she has had. (Ball, with the University of Missouri, says some of the more recognized certification programs are those of the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association and American Council on Exercise).

Research who, if anyone accredits the certifying organization. Research the accrediting group to ensure that it is legitimate and well-known in the fitness area.

Go to the certifying organization’s website to determine just how stringent its requirements are for certification. Be cautious of websites that use an easy-to-pass exam and a fee as the sole requirements for certification.

Check out a business’s Reliability Report with the BBB by going to www.tucson.bbb.org or by calling (520)888-5353.

James Murphy served in the Army as a Ranger with Harris and said he wouldn’t be alive if not for Harris’ heroic actions. Murphy recalled after he and another soldier were hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Mogadishu, Harris ran to their position and carried both of them a half-mile away “not knowing if we were alive or not.” He drove them to safety in a burning vehicle and returned to continue to fight.

“If you know him, you are privileged,” Murphy said. “If you served with him, you were in the presence of a true American patriot. If he is your friend, you should be honored. He gives hope to humanity that there are still decent, amazing people all around you.”

The fact that he's got someone backing up his obvious bullshine suggests to me that this may not 'merely' be a case of some crazy walt type, to whom the line between fantasy and reality has become blurred, talking big to someone who'll listen.

It'll be interesting to see if it comes out how the reporter first encountered this guy. If he was the one who contacted the paper all like "you guys should do a story about me!", then this may be the most spectacular case of shooting oneself in the foot, perhaps not !!!ever!!! - but certainly for a long while...

As a former Marine (peace timer '84 - '88) I find these stories disgusting, and the idiots that actually think that they can get away with them are the lowest of the low. Some of the Marines that I served with actually were war heroes from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam and its not right for someone to jump on a bandwagon that was paid for in blood. Congress WAKE-UP!!

The fact that he's got someone backing up his obvious bullshine suggests to me that this may not 'merely' be a case of some crazy walt type, to whom the line between fantasy and reality has become blurred, talking big to someone who'll listen.

It'll be interesting to see if it comes out how the reporter first encountered this guy. If he was the one who contacted the paper all like "you guys should do a story about me!", then this may be the most spectacular case of shooting oneself in the foot, perhaps not !!!ever!!! - but certainly for a long while...

He can be a totally legit Ranger and still BSing. Confirm kills and Award claims is enough to piss people off. Its actually worse when you served as opposed to some one wacko who has never been it. You should have more respect.

He can be a totally legit Ranger and still BSing. Confirm kills and Award claims is enough to piss people off. Its actually worse when you served as opposed to some one wacko who has never been it. You should have more respect.

Can’t wait to see the newspaper report about his next stroll down the streets of “Fayette-Nam”

He can be a totally legit Ranger and still BSing. Confirm kills and Award claims is enough to piss people off. Its actually worse when you served as opposed to some one wacko who has never been it. You should have more respect.

I'm sure that you, as a military man are fully aware of this - but just to highlight something that was mentioned on the Socnet thread and elsewhere where this is being discussed...

His claimed leg injury (shot, cut femoral artery) in Mogadishu - and his claim that the character who died from such an injury in the Black Hawk Down film was based on him... In reality, a real person sustained that injury during said battle - and a real person died from that injury. One Corporal Jamie Smith.

Yes, this guy is claiming another man's death in battle as his own. Except that Jeff The Rock lived to make a miraculous recovery with the help of God...

Yeah I caught that too. What I don't get is how the reporter could so carelessly NOT fact check such a well documented battle. Whip out the damn book go to page 210 and you have Cpl Smith getting hit in the leg and he passes on pg 242. Such a simple thing to check. I don't have to much sympathy if the reporter loses their job.